Sparkhill man tells trial he was reacting against rumours he was a Pakistani secret service agent

The alleged Birmingham-based ringleader of a gang accused of plotting a series of suicide bomb attacks has insisted that he only pretended to be preparing an attack.

Irfan Naseer, aged 31, from Sparkhill, told the trial at Woolwich Crown Court he was “bragging” when he was secretly recorded by police talking about making bombs.

He said it was a reaction to being threatened following suspicions in his community that he was an agent for ISI - the Pakistani secret service.

Naseer said his false claims were part of a scam against others alleged to be involved in the plot.

Amid tight security he told the jury he tried to persuade them to invest in a shop which they thought was for making bombs, when he actually planned to go abroad with their cash.

He also said that he had wanted people to think he was “a real terrorist”, “the real deal” because of the rumours in the community.

Naseer, along with Irfan Khalid and Ashik Ali, both 27 and also from Birmingham, are on trial accused of being central figures in an alleged extremist plot.

All three defendants are accused of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, which they deny.

The prosecution claim that no target was set for the alleged would-be rucksack bombers, who are accused of planning eight simultaneous blasts bigger than the 7/7 attacks.

The men were covertly recorded by anti-terror cops in September last year inside an alleged bomb factory in White Street, Balsall Heath.

Naseer is accused of five counts of the offence, Khalid four and Ali three, all between Christmas Day 2010 and September 19, 2011.

Naseer, from Doris Road, Sparkhill, and Ali, of White Street, Balsall Heath, are alleged to have planned a bombing campaign, collected money for terrorism and recruited others for terrorism.

Naseer and Khalid, of Timbers Way, Sparkbrook, are also accused of travelling to Pakistan for training in terrorism, and it is alleged that Naseer also helped others to travel to the country for the same purpose.